August 10, 2007

365 Days #222 - Johnny Rix and Pat Martin (mp3s)

You would have thought that by 1977 Al Jolson impersonators would be a thing of the past but there was at least one in the shape of British cabaret entertainer Johnny Rix. He made this vanity 4-track EP with his singing partner Pat Martin on their own label (the only release no doubt), which was sold at concerts and personal appearances. It is, of course, signed.

The songs are covers of 1950s hits Croce Di Oro (originally by Patti Page) and Broken Wings (The Stargazers / Art and Totty Dodd) plus two self-penned duets Maybe It's You and My Love Song. Unashamedly old-fashioned, with a piano-led trio backing these aren't bad songs but Johnny's delivery is so much in Al Jolson mode it sounds like he's singing with a mouthful of kapok. They try to modernise the sound with use of a string machine but it's all a bit of a mess. My Love Song is probably the worst offender with both singers not so much in harmony as in competition with each other to see who could get to the end first.

I love the label name which is (what else) MARIX from MARtin and rIX and I also love the way the record manufacturers have managed to spell Johnny's name wrong TWICE. A giveaway postcard (complete with coffee cup ring) shows that his name was Johnny Rix, but the sleeve sticker (which also erroneously only lists two songs) has it as Johnnie, while the record label lists it as Johnn. Brilliant! Small wonder it wasn't a hit.

Accordingly Johnny is still entertaining holidaymakers in hotels and theatres on England's south coast but let's hope he's put the old burnt cork away for good.

Comments

Lounge act Art and Dotty Todd had a hit with "Broken wings" in England, but in the United States they are best known for "Chanson d'amour" which made the charts in 1958. They were one hit wonders in both countries.

You'd be surprised how long the blackface minstrel show stuck around in the UK.

I spent a year in Canterbury not too long ago and would frequent charity shops. Digging through the vinyl always unveiled an embarassing number of minstrel records. Needless to say, a lot of them were from the 60's.

"The Black and White Minstrel Show" was one of the BBC's biggest TV shows from the 50s to the 70s. I think it was axed in the very early 80s. Either way it ran for a long time in a prime time slot.

Headed by George Mitchell, TBAWMS were huge in Britain and would tour regularly and play in seasons at the seaside. They also sold several million albums released on EMI with one or two of them staying on the UK album charts for years at a time. Indeed these can be easily found in charity shops.

Of course, the BBC now try and pretend such a show never existed and a lot of them are lost but many remain and feature a mindboggling variety of guests. Its one show that will likely never be screened again.

Things began to go sour for them when they were on a Royal Variety show in the 70s alongside Diana Ross. Ross refused to go onstage whilst they were around and when she finally did (having kicked up a huge fuss in the meantime) she gave the black power salute in protest.

I know of at least one Al Jolson impersonator and he gets the occasional gig although he performs without the blackface makeup for rather obvious reasons.

OTOH, we now have a thriving, multibillion dollar minstrel entertainment complex here in the States. What with 50 cent, the Game, and all the rest helping to keep the tradition alive, we're likely to see minstrelry extend far into the 21st century. "yo yo yo my niggas, minstrelry pays the big benjamins and brings on the bling and bitches!" So line up and buy, suckers.

The show I saw mentioned the Diana Ross incident. One of the minstrels claimed that that was the first indication he had that some people might be offended at what they were doing. He also claimed that he'd personally never made the association between minstrel makeup and real black people before that and that he felt bad at the time for causing distress to Ms. Ross.

This being the UK the stuff about South Asians was just as bad and the stuff about gays and women was possibly worse.

This must have been a record that could be purchased at the end of a variety turn at the likes of 'Butlins'/'Pontins'/'Golden Garter' type affair, rather than ever commercially released surely.

BTW, you have to remember that TBAWMS was popular until the late 70's in the UK with SOME people - and that's key. These people were then divided into those who watched it to enjoy the songs and those who watched it to enjoy the Andy 'n Amos type 'humour' (which is where it moved into the decidedly more suspect territory of racial stereotyping). It was killed by the 'humour' content rather than the white guy blacks up and sings a song content. Whilst I wouldn't want to go as far as K, I think we can all recognise that racial stereotype humour is still very much a part of the entertainment business, just that nowadays it doesn't, or doesn't need to, 'black-up'.